


Destined for Greatness

by alonebutnotlonely



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), Co-workers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:01:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25686226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alonebutnotlonely/pseuds/alonebutnotlonely
Summary: "My father always used to say I was ‘destined for greatness’, I don’t know about ‘greatness’ but when the BAU reached out to me personally after my stay at the FBI academy, I was more than happy to accept the offer."This job was daunting, but you knew you could handle it. That other agent with the adorable rambling and obsession with statistics, though? That might cause you some problems.
Relationships: Spencer Reid & Reader, Spencer Reid/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	1. First Day

Okay, so, confession time. When I had told my friends that I wasn’t scared about starting my new job I was most definitely lying. Evidence could be found in the fact that my stomach had practically been doing flips since I got out of bed that morning. Due to that issue breakfast was off the table as I was certain it would have just come right back up again; I couldn’t waste time cleaning puke off the floor of my shitty apartment when I had to be getting ready for work.

Pulling on my black stockings I compiled a mental checklist to make sure I knew what I needed before I hopped on the subway. Purse, keys, wallet, badge, coffee… what else? Oh yeah, gun, right. I hated guns, they’ve done more damage than good. Unfortunately, It was requested that I carry if I was going in the field. I get it, doesn’t mean I have to like it though.

I finished buttoning up my blouse and took a look at myself in the mirror. I certainly looked the part of a behavioural analyst, good thing I had two PhD's to back it up as well. I put my hair in a low ponytail and grabbed my mascara. Two PhD's at the ripe age of 26 normally got people talking. I graduated high school a year early and had been doubling up classes throughout college. 

My father always used to say I was ‘destined for greatness’, I don’t know about ‘greatness’ but when the BAU reached out to me personally after my stay at the FBI academy, I was more than happy to accept the offer. I applied a tinted lip balm and examined my work; I looked pretty, but tired too. Guess that makes sense due to lack of sleep, I had to work on that.

Purse, keys, wallet, badge, coffee, and gun. I looped the belt through the holster and slung it around my hips. Putting on my jacket I made sure it concealed the gun. I don’t like people seeing that I carry, puts them on edge. 

One last check and I was out the door, ready to start.

~

The train ride was peaceful, it was early enough that I was one of only four passengers. I couldn’t quite enjoy the solitude though, my brain was racing a mile a minute as I was trying to magically slow down time. I know, I know, you’d think that with my two PhD's I wouldn’t do things so childish. I couldn’t help it, I felt like I needed more time to prepare.

My frantic thinking was cut short as the almost unintelligible subway announcement called out my stop. I stood up and took a deep breath before stepping onto the platform. Here we go.

~

Doors, plaza, elevator.

This place was nice, very official. Well, it had to be official, it’s the government.

Glass doors, bullpen, stairs.

No one was in the bullpen yet, that was good. I didn’t need any awkward staring or questions. The nameplate on the door ahead of me read "SSA Aaron Hotchner". This was it.

I took a deep breath, then knocked on the door. I heard a man’s voice answer from inside, “Come in.” He sounded stern, that’s good, I need firm leadership or I flounder.

I obeyed and opened the door, his eyes were on me as I walked to meet him at his desk.

He outstretched his hand for me to shake and I took it, making sure to be firm and confident, I read about that being important in a magazine a while ago.

“You must be Dr. Y/L/N. Please, sit.” I sat and placed my purse on the floor by my legs. “Please, you can call me Y/N, Dr.’s a little too professional for me.” Agent Hotchner nodded, “Well, Y/N, welcome to the BAU, let’s get started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoy this first chapter, I had some fun writing it!
> 
> This is my first time uploading here, so it might be a little rough until I fully figure stuff out :)
> 
> Don't expect some big story arc or anything. I really just want to write some cute domestic and workspace fluff, (and smut hehehe >:) ) and I hope you guys want that too!
> 
> Anyway, leave a comment if you want, I'll try to get chapters up fairly quickly I have quite a lot of time on my hands as of late. :)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading.
> 
> Lots of love,  
> Gem


	2. Meeting Dr. Reid

After Hotchner got me caught up on how the day would go, he brought me to my desk in the bullpen. In the time I had been in the office, another agent had showed up to work; this guy was tall, lanky, and had a mop of long curly hair that he had tucked behind his ears. He certainly looked interesting, and handsome too, If I’m being honest he was totally my type. I tend like leaner men rather than the buff ones, just a personal preference I guess. I wondered what it would be like to run my hands through his hair...

I was snapped out of my unprofessional thoughts by Agent Hotchner’s voice, “Hey Reid, I’d like you to meet Dr. Y/N Y/L/N. She’s starting with us today. Y/N, this is Dr. Spencer Reid. You’ll be working at the desk across from his.” I offered my hand for Dr. Reid to shake, but he just waved instead. I retracted my hand and chuckled, “Not a shaker, Dr. Reid?” He looked embarrassed and I wondered if I had done something wrong, until he started to chuckle softly as well. “Um, no, I prefer not to.” Hotchner saved me from any more awkwardness by breaking the tension; “All right, Y/L/N, I’ll leave you with Reid to get situated. See you later.” I nodded as he left.

Taking a seat at my desk I took a sip of my coffee. I looked at Dr. Reid. He was a puzzle to me, figuring people out is what I do best, and I was determined to get into his brain.

“So, Dr. Reid, what are your doctorates?” I assumed he had more than one. To garner the title of doctor instead of agent at the FBI you have to have credentials, I would know. “I have three PhDs,” he started to look more relaxed, education must be something he’s passionate about. “Chemistry, Engineering, and Mathematics.” That was interesting, he must have been an early starter like me. “How old are you, Dr.? Three PhDs is quite the feat for someone who looks only a couple years older than me.” He smiled, “I’m 28, I have an IQ of 187 and an eidetic memory. I started college when I was 12.” I nodded. Insanely smart and ambitious, it was kinda hot, honestly.

He gestured to me as he sat in his chair, “How about you, Dr. Y/L/N? What’s your doctorate?” I grinned and finished off my coffee. “Well, for starters I actually have two; Psychology and Criminology. I guess this job is kinda the next logical step.” He seemed surprised, I guess he wasn’t expecting that of me. “I-I see. I’m sorry if you felt I was underestimating you, Dr. It wasn’t my intention.” He was stammering, cute. “No need for apologies, Dr. Reid, I took no offense. And please, just call me Y/N. If we’re working this closely I’d like to feel familiar.” He relaxed after that, good, I’d like to get to know this one more. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve just finished my coffee and i’d like to go top up before I meet the rest of the team. Catch you later, Spencer.” I stood and gave him a nod. He nodded back, “See you, Y/N.”

~

Coffee, I needed more coffee. My lack of sleep was really starting to set in and I wanted to be fully awake for the morning meeting. I poured the hot liquid into my mug and topped it up with cream, perfect. 

As I took my first sip I thought about Spencer, he intrigued me; genius, cute, strange, there were so many words I could use to describe him, and yet I couldn’t quite pin him down. There was something in his head that I wanted to get to, but maybe that’s just my Psychology doctorate talking.

Okay, that was enough about Reid, I had to go through the day. Hotchner said that we would discuss the case at the morning meeting, this is where I would meet the rest of the team. After the meeting we’d fly out and get to work. My go bag had already been packed, I sent it in early to be prepared. On the plane we had to brief as well, to stay focused. All right, this I could do.

Just as I had finished preparing, Spencer popped his head in the doorway, “Hey, Y/N, it’s time for the briefing. You can follow me.” “All right”

One last breath and then I followed Spencer into a meeting room with a round table. Hotchner and five other agents were there already, and were all looking at me expectantly.

“Everybody, meet Dr. Y/N Y/L/N.”

Here we go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe we've met our boy!!!
> 
> side note #1: this isn't gonna directly follow the story-line of criminal minds, though I will state that this story starts around season 5-ish.
> 
> side note #2: if you guys thoroughly dislike reading Y/N fics, feel free to paste it somewhere else and replace with your name. I just find it the easiest to write with!
> 
> thanks for reading!!
> 
> lots of love,  
> gem


	3. Part Of The Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation about psychology and an evening out.

Agent David Rossi; old, experienced, smart, rich, VERY Italian.

Agent Derek Morgan; buff, confident, flirtatious, funny, overcompensating.

Agent Emily Prentiss; skilled, thorough, caring, strong, skeptical.

Agent Jennifer Jareau, JJ; blonde, pretty, tough, intuitive, sympathetic.

Tech Analyst Penelope Garcia; loud, outgoing, incredibly talented, optimist, overzealous.

These people, plus Hotch and Spencer, were the team I had now been a part of for a month. That first case was simple, a man had committed blitz murders after experiencing a dissociative break. The rest of the team had considered the man to be psychotic, until I heard how he was speaking over security footage. He didn’t feel that his life was real, he was completely disconnected from reality.

Spencer was impressed with that one. Well, the whole team was, but I was focused on him the most. We had been discussing psychology one day when we were both at the BAU early. Spencer had a B.A. in psychology and was asking me how I knew the unsub had a form of a dissociative disorder.

“It was simple,” I answered. “When a person has a dissociative disorder they have a disconnection between their surroundings, memories, thoughts and their own identity. The way he was speaking suggested that he believed he didn’t exist in this world, and that whatever actions he committed would have no effect. As we found out, it was most likely caused by the abuse he had suffered throughout his formative years.” Spencer nodded, chewing his lip.

I liked it when Spencer chewed his lip.

“That’s interesting, I never really looked into dissociative disorders when I was getting my B.A. I’ll have to do some more research.” He seemed genuinely eager to learn, which is something you don’t really see in people our age these days. “Well, Dr. Reid, I guess that’s the difference between a Bachelor and a Doctorate. If you ever want someone to help with your research I’d be more than happy to join you.” He looked shocked, from what I had seen it seemed that the rest of the team rarely seemed interested in his endeavours. I wanted to change that. “Actually, I-I think that’d be great, Y/N.”

~

The team liked to get together every couple weeks, go out for drinks, grab dinner, sing at karaoke bars, we called it “team bonding” but really it was just an excuse to hang out with each other where there wasn’t any murder or kidnapping going on.

That evening when I walked into the bar I immediately spotted the table where Penelope, JJ, Emily and Spencer were watching Derek try to pick up some poor girl. I grabbed a seat by Penelope and smiled at the others, my eyes lingered on Spencer for a split second until we both broke eye contact. 

I had been getting pretty close with Penelope, She was open and easy to talk to when I had arrived, so I used her as a grounding point if I was getting overwhelmed.

“Hey Penny, how’s Mr. Smooth over there getting on?” I glanced over to Derek, the girl seemed pretty receptive. ”Oh, Honey, that hunk of glorious muscle is going all sorts of places tonight. Oh how I wish I was going there with him.” “Uh huh, I’m sure you do. But I must remind you that you deserve much better than that walking bicep, my tech goddess.” We laughed and she passed me a bottle of beer. “Ah, for me? You shouldn’t have.”

Derek was back at the table as I was taking my first swig. That was fast. “What happened Morgan? Was she not into your ‘masculine charm’?” Reid was first to attack. “Hey, shut up pretty boy. She just wasn’t the move tonight, nothing to it.” Emily was next, “Ooh, so it wasn’t the fact that she was with that other guy before you got there, huh?” That was what got Derek. “Yeah whatever, let’s see boy genius over here do any better.”

That was what got me, every time they would tease Spencer about his “love life” it sent a jealous pang to my stomach. I was gonna need something stronger than beer if I was going to sit through this. “I’ll be back, gonna go get some shots.” 

His eyes followed me as I walked to the bar- No. No. I was imagining that.

~

Five shots later I was starting to feel better, Morgan had whisked Spencer off to go “hone his skills”. Ugh. The buzz was making the edge of my vision blurred, and I was talking with JJ about Rage Against the Machine, something I was surprised to hear was one of her interests.

“No, no, JJ. Testify DEFINITELY has the best bass line, which makes it the best song.” She shook her head, “Y/N, that’s like, the most popular song of theirs! If you're going basic, at least go with Killing In The Name.” I took another shot and lazily shook my finger at her. “JJ, I used to play bass in a college band, so that is the most important thing to me in determining a good song. Testify has a brilliant bass line and so that is my favourite. Conversation over!” She laughed at me as I got off my stool at the bar. “Y/N, you’re drunk, how many shots have you had?” “I think three too many. Now, pretty lady, I shall bid you adieu.” I turned on my heel to go sit at the table with Penelope and Emily.

“Ladies, JJ says I’m drunk. Now, as a part of this team, I would like your professional opinion.” Emily had just been sipping on one beer, as she was our designated driver for the evening. “Y/N, as a profiler with the FBI, it is my completely professional opinion that you are totally hammered.” Garcia nodded as I slumped onto the table. “Ugh, I just couldn’t watch him flirt with those girls. It makes me sick.” Penny’s eyes sharpened, “Who, Morgan? I thought he wasn’t your type.” I shook my head and said the stupidest thing that’s ever come out of my mouth, “Nuh uh, not Derek. Spencer. I want Spencer to flirt with **me**.” 

When my drunk brain had realized what I said, it was too late. I shot straight up in my seat. Emily’s eyes widened. “SPENCER?” 

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! this was a longer chapter and i'm sorry that it's kinda disjointed. i started writing this at 4:00am and now it's 6:00am and i just needed to get it out lmao.
> 
> thank you for reading! if you like my writing, please feel free to leave kudos or drop a comment!
> 
> sending love,  
> gem


	4. Hangover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While trying to kick a hangover, you gain a visit from Spencer.

The morning after that night at the bar was ROUGH. My head felt like it was about to burst due to the fact I hadn’t had any water at the bar. That was a bad move on my part. I had begged Garcia and Emily to not spill my secret to anyone. It took convincing, but they reluctantly agreed. “Well, for the record Y/N, I think you and Spencer would make a most glorious couple.” Garcia had said, “Yes, me too! But if you want to keep it a secret, then it’ll stay that way.” Emily added. I got her to drop me off at my apartment building and had barely made it to my bed before I passed out.

I needed coffee and water to kick this hangover to the curb.

Walking down the hall to my kitchen proved difficult, as I was so dizzy I had to hold onto the wall just to stay upright. Once I made it to the counter I started a pot of coffee, and poured a big glass of water. It was a good thing it was my day off, there was no way I’d be able to go to work like this. The water was certainly helping, I was most definitely dehydrated after all I’d had the night before. 

The coffee was ready and I filled my biggest mug with the bitter liquid. I topped off with cream and made my way to my living room couch. Mmm, no TV just yet, my brain wasn’t ready for that. I picked up one of Rossi’s criminology books instead, he’s a pretty good writer, and he covers some interesting topics.

~

I had just finished reading when my phone buzzed. It was from Spencer, “ _Hi Y/N, do you want to do some research together? We could head to the library._ ” Shit, I forgot I had offered to help him out. I definitely wasn’t going to leave my place, but I had plenty of materials on my bookshelves we could use. “ _Hey Spence, do you want to just come to my apartment? Last night really kicked my ass, but I have textbooks and studies here._ ” “ _Sure, be there soon._ ” “ _Ok great, I’ll have a cup of coffee ready for you._ ”

Spencer had ridden the train home with me one night after work, we had found out we lived three blocks apart so he wouldn’t be long. I got off the couch and poured another mug of coffee for when he got here.

I needed to put on proper clothes, I had just been in a t-shirt and my underwear ever since last night and I wasn’t about to let Spencer see that. _Yet._

No Y/N, stop that.

I went to my bedroom to get changed and was in the middle of pulling on some sweats when I heard a knock on the door. “It’s open!” I hollered as I scrambled to grab a bra. I could hear the door open and shut and I did a once-over in the mirror. Not bad at all, somehow drunk me was able to take off my makeup before bed, so I just pulled my hair up into a ponytail.

Spencer was looking through my bookshelves in the living room when I walked out to greet him. “Hey Spencer, what do my books say about me?” He turned around to look at me. “You have a mix of non-fiction and fiction, so I’d say you value a balance of education and entertainment. Same with me.” I nodded, “Well, doesn’t everyone?” He half-chuckled, “You’d be surprised.” “You want sugar in your coffee?” I asked, as I went to the kitchen. “Please.” He replied and moved to sit on my couch.

As I poured WAY too much sugar into his mug, (I watched him make his coffee at work once, that man’s sugar intake is insane.) I heard Spencer’s voice from my living room, “Hey Y/N, you’re reading Rossi’s books?” I topped up my mug as well. “Yeah, they’re pretty good! It’s cool to see how he thinks through the cases and his insight about the unsubs.” I went back to the couch and handed Spencer his mug. “Thanks. Rossi has many years of experience, I think it’s always beneficial to see things through an expert’s eyes.” I nodded, “Me too. So, where do you want to start? I have textbooks from classes and when I was writing my dissertation, studies from professors; well, you saw my bookshelves, I have all sorts of things.” Spencer shrugged, “Let’s pull everything you have that pertains to dissociation and then we can go from there.” “Sounds good”

~

I spent the next three hours sifting through textbooks and papers I had read hundreds of times to help Spence with his research. He looked incredibly handsome sitting there on my couch, the first two buttons of his dress shirt were undone and his curly hair was rustled from his habit of pushing it behind his ear. Seeing Spencer work like this was fascinating, his brain was operating on a level I had never seen in my life. Things it took me months to understand he learned in minutes, It was amazing.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Spencer’s voice, “Y/N, can I ask you something?” “Mhm.” He closed the textbook he was reading, this wasn’t about psychology. “Why did you avoid me at the bar last night? When Morgan started teasing me, you averted your eyes and I didn’t see you for the rest of the night.” I put down the paper I was holding and chewed the inside of my cheek, I didn’t know how to answer that. “I-if I did something to offend or upset you-” I cut him off, “Spencer, you’re a profiler, I’m sure you’ve been noticing things I’ve been doing ever since I walked out of Hotch’s office a month ago.” He nodded. “Yes.” “Like the fact that when I look at the team during round table, my eyes always linger on yours for a couple extra seconds. Or maybe you’ve noticed that I’ve started to catch the earlier train just so I can ride with you.” He placed the textbook on my coffee table, and moved closer to me on the couch. “Y/N, you’re a profiler too, a-and a very good one from what I’ve witnessed. You must have noticed things as well.” I nodded. “Well, for instance, I could feel your eyes on me while I left the table at the bar last night. I thought I was imagining it, but now I’m not too sure.” He looked me in the eyes. “You weren’t imagining it, Y/N.” I took a shaky breath. "And I've also noticed that you're normally reluctant to engage with people you just met. But, when I offered that you come here today you didn't hesitate. You just texted me back right away." He nodded.

My eyes flicked down to his lips, and then back up to his eyes.

“I think there also may be some things you haven’t noticed, Spencer.” His eyebrows raised. “L-like what?” “Like whenever I see your hair, I wonder what it would be like to run my hand through it.” I placed my hand in his hair and he leaned slightly into my touch. That surprised me, I was scared he would pull away. “And when the team teases you about your love life, I get a jealous pit in my stomach and I have to leave the room.” He moved even closer to me and hesitantly put his hand on my knee. My breathing hitched slightly. “And when you chew your lips, I-I have to avert my eyes or I can’t stop myself from imagining what it would be like to kiss them.” 

His other hand slipped up to cup my cheek, and his eyes danced between my own. I could feel his breath hit my face as he leaned in close. Then he said something I thought I would only ever hear in my dreams. 

“Can I kiss you?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! this chapter was a longer one i hope that's ok! i hope you guys didn't think this was a slow burn fic lmao i have zero patience and i want to get to the fluffy stuff as soon as i can.
> 
> if you like my writing, feel free to leave kudos or drop a comment!
> 
> sending you guys love,
> 
> gem


	5. Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A budding relationship begins and an agreement is made

His lips were soft against mine, like he was scared that I was going to break. One of his hands moved to wrap around my back as I brought my other hand up to play with his hair. Everything was so gentle and slow, I didn’t want to miss a second of what was happening. 

What was happening? We shouldn’t have been doing this, we were coworkers. But now that we were actively making out, I didn’t want to stop.

We broke apart, and Spencer’s forehead was resting against mine. Out of breath, we both chuckled. “Y/N, I’ve been wanting to do that from the minute I saw you walk down those stairs.” I grinned and looked into his hazel eyes. “Me too, Spence, truly.” I gave him a small kiss and moved to rest my head in the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around me. “You know, Y/N, I’ve never met someone quite like you. Y-you’re absolutely beautiful and incredibly smart.” I laughed into his shoulder. “You’re one to talk, Spence. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of anyone as smart as you.” I moved back to look at his face. “And I mean, with all those smarts AND a face like that? How could I not fall for you?” He looked embarrassed and went to turn his face away. I placed my hand on his cheek and made him look at me. “I mean it. You are the most handsome boy, and your intelligence just makes you more attractive.” 

Spencer pulled me into his chest and placed a kiss on the top of my head. “Thank you, Y/N. I really mean it.” “I know, Spencer, I know.” We stayed in an embrace for a couple seconds before Spencer released me from his arms. “Y/N, I was going to ask Derek for advice on how to ask you out last night. But when you started to avoid me, I thought I might have done something wrong, so I decided not to.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony of it all. “And the only reason I started avoiding you was because I couldn’t stand the sight of you flirting with other women. That’s why I got so drunk, I even told Garcia and Prentiss about my feelings for you.” “They know?” “Yeah, but they also know I didn’t want to tell anyone. The thing that’s funny, though, is that at first they thought I was attracted to Derek.” Spencer chuckled, “Most women are.” I leaned in and kissed him. “Yeah well, I’m not most women.” “No, you are not.”

I looked at my clock on the wall, it was already past 5. “Spencer, are you hungry? We could order in. It’s not quite a dinner date at a fancy restaurant, but we could still make it a nice night.” Spencer smiled and kissed me again. “I’d like that.”

~

Over Chinese takeout Spencer and I had agreed not to tell anyone about our budding relationship right away. It was frowned upon to date coworkers in the bureau, and it would cause too much of a scene within the team. When we felt ready enough to tell everyone we would, but we needed time. 

We ended up breaking open my box set of Doctor Who seasons and cuddling on the couch. We were in between episodes and I got up to grab a beer. “You know, Spencer, for a person with an IQ of 187 I would have thought you’d know how to use a pair of chopsticks.” He laughed, “Oh come on, it’s like foraging for my meal with two pencils! I don’t know how so many people can eat with those things.” I plopped back down onto the couch and took a swig of my beer. “It’s ok Spence, I can teach you how to use them. I only learned when I was five, so I think you can handle it.” I patted his chest and laid my head on his shoulder. “I’m sure you’d be a great teacher, but for now I’d like to drop this conversation and watch the next episode.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and hit play on the tv remote with his other hand. “It’s ok, Spence, you don’t have to be embarrassed. But jeez, it’s a good thing you’re pretty.” We both chuckled and settled against each other to watch the show.

~

Spencer left my apartment around 11:30pm that night. It took him half an hour of reassuring me that he would be fine for me to let him walk home alone at night. I wouldn’t let him leave without peppering him with kisses first though, that was my toll, and he wasn’t complaining.

I was lying in bed thinking of the events of the day. What started as a research session turned into the beginning of a relationship, I certainly wasn’t expecting that. I couldn’t believe I had convinced myself that his glances didn’t mean anything. I am a _profiler._ How could I have missed the signs?

My phone buzzed.

“ _Home safe, you can stop worrying,_ ” “ _What, you can read minds now too? I’m happy you’re safe._ ” I rolled onto my side, the light from my phone illuminating my face. “ _You should sleep, Y/N. I’ll see you at work tomorrow._ ” “ _You get some sleep too, genius. I can’t wait to see you._ ” “ _Good night, Y/N._ ” “ _Good night, Spence._ ”

I plugged my phone in and rolled to my back, staring at the ceiling. Dr. Spencer Reid liked me back. I felt like a middle schooler, getting overly happy when my crush would pay attention to me. It was silly, we were adults, and I needed to act like one.

Well, what I really needed to do was get some sleep. I had a late night the day before, and with the eventful day I had just had, I was exhausted. I hoped that my relationship wouldn’t get in the way of my work, but I’d just have to wait and see.

My eyes started to get heavy, so I gave into the sleep. Drifting off to the thought of the handsome man I was just kissing goodnight half an hour before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's a little rough, so i'm sorry for that ahaha! i had trouble sleeping, so i wrote this to calm me down. i was craving some fluff so hopefully you guys were too.
> 
> if you guys like my writing, please feel free to leave kudos or drop a comment!
> 
> sending love,  
> gem


	6. Distracted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having trouble concentrating on a case leads to a confession.

_ Stop looking at him, stop looking at him. Focus on Hotch. The case is important, not your stupid boyfriend. Look at Hotch, not Spencer. _

“Y/N? Are you alright?” Hotch was talking to me, breaking my train of thought. We were on the jet to New York for a serial abduction and murder case, and I was having trouble concentrating due to my boyfriend of three weeks. “Uh, yeah sorry. I’ve been having trouble sleeping, I just need more coffee. What were you asking?” Hotch eyed me suspiciously. “What do you know about this unsub’s narcissism?” I looked through the file in front of me. “This guy’s ransom demands on the past two victims are huge, he’s targeting wealthy, high risk families. He might be trying to prove to us that he can get away with anything.” Emily spoke next, “Along with his incessant demands to have his abductions covered in the media, he’s doing this for some sort of fame.” I nodded. “If his narcissism is already pushing him to these levels, he’s gonna try to make a huge spectacle this time.”

Hotch stood from his seat “All right, Morgan and JJ interview the families of the last two victims. Reid and Y/N go speak with the Carters. Stay with them at their house and keep them as relaxed as possible, if we’re following the same pattern there will be a ransom call tonight. Dave, Prentiss, and I will go to the station. Let’s bring Lena Carter home safe.”

Spencer was sitting across from me at the table, everyone else was either out of hearing range or preoccupied. He nudged my leg under the table. “You good?” I nodded, “I need coffee, and also I need to stop staring at you or else I’m never going to get any work done.” He chuckled. “When we get to the Carters’ house I’ll try to stand beside you instead of in front of you.” I grinned, “Thanks. I’m gonna get a cup of coffee, want some?” “Uh, yeah, please.”

I walked to the jet’s bar, Hotch was already there. “Y/N, is anything wrong?” Uh oh. “No, sir. I’ve just not been sleeping well.” “Are you able to work?” “Yes sir, I really just need some coffee and I’ll be good to go.” He locked eyes with me for a second, “All right, if you need to talk when we get back my office is open.” “I understand, thank you sir.” He went to sit down again and I started to fill up mine and Spencer’s cups. Hotch didn’t buy my lie one bit. I wasn’t fully lying though, along with my difficulty at work, Spencer had inadvertently kept me up at night as well.

I brought Spencer his coffee and sat down beside him. I lowered my voice, “Hotch definitely knows something’s going on, he wants to talk to me.” “You think he knows it’s about us?”

“We’ll see.”

~

The Carters were understandably very distressed, but Spencer and I were able to link all three families to the same lawyer, Jackson Ernst. Now we were just waiting for the ransom call to see if Garcia could trace where it was coming from. Everyone else was in the living room setting up while Spencer and I were in the kitchen grabbing some water.

“You kept your word, Spence, you’ve been just out of my line of sight all day. It sucks.” Spencer laughed and leaned on the counter beside me, “You’ve been able to concentrate though.” “Yeah well, maybe I like being distracted a little better.” I listened to make sure no one was coming, then leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Spencer grabbed my hand and rubbed his thumb in soothing circles. “You’re stressed, Y/N. You need to sleep more.” I looked at him and sighed, “Yeah, it’s a work in progress. At least I wasn’t fully lying to Hotch earlier, it didn’t make a difference though, he saw right through me.” Spencer bit his lip. “What are you thinking, Spence? I can see your gears turning.” “Should we tell him about us? He’s our unit chief, he should know. He won’t tell anyone else.” I nodded, “Yeah I think so. I don’t want to lie to him anymore, it stresses me out. We’ll talk to him when we get back.” “Okay.”

Spencer squeezed and then released my hand as we walked into the living room. “How much longer?” Mrs. Carter asked Hotch. “Soon. Try to stay calm. Y/N, call Garcia now.” I nodded and dialled her number. “Hey Penny, you ready?” Her voice came through the phone, “Ready and raring to go, my love.” “We’re good, Hotch.” 

Just as I had finished my sentence the Carters’ landline started ringing. As instructed, Mr. Carter waited four rings before picking up the phone. I stepped into the hallway to talk to Garcia, “Okay Penny, you got anything yet?” “My fingers are flying, dollface. He’s calling from a burner phone, but I am triangulating as we speak.” Mr. Carter was starting to lose control. “You gotta be fast, Garcia, we don’t have much time left.” “Okay, okay, okay… Got it! Sending you the address now, it looks like a warehouse. Be careful, honey.” “Thanks Penelope.”

I hung up the phone and walked to the living room just as the phone call ended. “Hotch, Garcia was able to triangulate the location. It’s an abandoned warehouse 15 minutes from here.” “You, Reid, JJ and Morgan head over there. The rest of us will stay here in case Ernst comes for the parents.”

~

The warehouse was large and damp. Spencer and I were nearing the main room while JJ and Morgan were coming up from the other side. Under a single light, Lena was tied to a chair and gagged, Ernst had a knife to her throat. “Jackson Ernst, put the weapon down.” I had my gun trained on him as I stepped forward slowly. “Do you have the money? 3 million or she dies.”

I took a breath. I needed to compliment him to gain his trust, then shut his narcissism down. “Jackson, this is really impressive. Three girls from wealthy families. High risk, high reward, right?” He shifted his weight slightly, I was getting him. “Listen Jackson, I haven’t seen anything like this before. What you are doing will go down in history.” He pulled Lena’s head closer to him and he started to move his knife. “It will go down in history! Everyone will know who I am! My reputation won’t depend on these bastards who have me do their dirty work for them.” “I know you deserve recognition, Jackson, but listen; the media has no clue this is going on. Unlike the other two girls, Emma and Sable, you will get no coverage from killing Lena.” I could see JJ and Morgan coming up from behind Ernst as Spencer moved closer to me to speak. “She’s right. If you kill her now, it will be pointless. Nobody will know what you’ve done. Put down the knife.”

Jackson hesitated, then dropped the knife. Spencer kicked it away from him as Morgan cuffed him. JJ worked on the binds around Lena’s wrists as I pulled the cloth out of her mouth. Lena slumped into my arms, “I’ve got you, it’s okay. You’re safe, I have you.” She sobbed into my shoulder as Spencer came to help me get her up and walking. “Let’s get you back to your parents okay?” “Okay.”

~

Back at Quantico, Spencer knocked on Hotch’s door. “Come in.” He opened the door and I followed him into the office. I glanced at Spencer and then spoke. “We need to talk to you, Sir.” Hotch motioned to the chairs in front of him. “Sit.” We both took a seat, and Spencer opened his mouth to speak before Hotchner cut him off. “You two are in a relationship.” I sighed and then looked at Spencer. “See? I told you he knew.” Spencer cleared his throat. “H-how long  **have** you known, sir?” “Three weeks ago, you two were suddenly inseparable. Plus you couldn't stop staring at each other, it was pretty obvious.” 

“We can still work together, Hotch. There shouldn’t be any problems here.” I said. Hotch shook his head. “There aren't any problems. You two have worked together very well, especially on this last case.” Spencer held my hand. “Hotch, no one else can know yet, we’ll tell them when we’re ready.” Hotch nodded. “Of course. Take the time you need. You’ll just have to fill out paperwork for HR and then it’s all good.” He handed us papers and we got up to leave. “Spencer, Y/N.” “Yes sir?” “You’re a very good pair, take care of each other.” I smiled at Spencer and nodded. “We will, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! ugh, i don't want to go back to school, but alas, such is life.
> 
> if you like my writing please feel free to leave kudos or drop a comment! i love hearing feedback.
> 
> sending love,  
> gem


	7. Suspicions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N and Spencer's strange behaviors cause suspicions to arrive throughout the unit.

“You’ve been acting weird lately, hon. Did someone find a boy toy I need to know about?” Garcia and I were sitting in her office, and she was asking me questions I didn’t want to be answering. “Well, Penny, you don’t need to know about him.” She gasped “So it  **is** a he! Tell me who it is!” She paused, uh oh. “Does this mean you’re over boy wonder? Because I must say, I was rooting for you two. He definitely liked you back, b-t-dubs.” “Uh, yeah, that was short-lived I guess.” At least the pining was, the relationship definitely isn’t.

“Aw, that sucks. But you have to tell me about this new beau!” I hopped off the edge of the desk and grabbed my coffee mug. “I’ll tell you when there’s something to tell you, Garcia. Now, It’s lunch time, and I have a sandwich calling my name.” As I was walking to the hallway I heard Penelope calling after me, “I will find out what’s going on with you, you, secret keeping keeper person!” I laughed, “You can try!”

~

Spencer and JJ were sitting in the break room when I walked in, I nodded at the two of them and went to the fridge. As I was looking for my sandwich I overheard the end of their conversation. “Spencer, you can’t lie to me, we’re best friends.” “I’m not lying!” JJ chuckled, “Oh come on, you’ve been acting so differently lately, you’re hiding something!” Spencer huffed. “Okay, well, I’m obviously not getting anything out of you, so I’m going to go get some work done. You can come talk to me when you're ready.” 

I closed the fridge and turned around, laughing. “JJ’s suspicious too, huh? Penny’s been grilling me lately.” Spencer sighed as I sat at the table with my sandwich. “Yeah, I-I hate lying to her, but I don’t want her to know. She’ll make a big deal out if it.” “Garcia’s the same, I don’t want that kind of attention yet.” Spencer shook his head. I placed his hand over his. “Look, I know it’s difficult, but I feel like we shouldn’t tell them yet. We’re still figuring this out, and I’d like to have at least a little time for ourselves before everyone freaks out.” Spencer glanced around before placing a small kiss on my cheek. “Y/N, how do you stay so calm all the time?” I chuckled, “Sheer will, I’m on my last legs though.” Spencer did a half laugh and then got his ‘lost in thought’ look. “Hey, genius, what’re you thinking?” He shook his head. “Hey, what is it?” “It’s a stupid idea, we could get in trouble…” “Well, that just makes me want to know even more. Tell me, tell me, tell me.” “Uh, well, you know that storage closet in the hallway on the other side of this floor?” I smirked, “Yes, I know of it.” “Well, ever since I saw you, I’ve um, kind of been thinking of, uh you know…” “Making out in it?” “Well, yeah.”

I stood up and started to walk out of the room, “What are you doing?” I turned around. “A certain storage closet seems to be calling my name. Are you coming or not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! it's been quite a while ahaha! i lowkey forgot about this because of schoolwork, but i'm back and better than ever! i have plans to upload another new chapter in the next couple of days so it won't be another five months this time, oops.
> 
> if you like my work please consider leaving kudos and/or dropping a comment, i'd love to hear from you!
> 
> sending love,  
> gem


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